subscribe

Pages

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Saturday, August 21, 2010

My friend John Gjertsen sent me this clip, and I would be downright remiss - nay, negligent! - if I didn't share it with the rest of you:

It starts a little slow, so feel free to skip the first 30 seconds. After that it just keeps getting better, as France's finest pastry chefs drop, devour, and destroy (not necessarily in that order) a cornucopia of cakery.

I saw this film on tv a while ago - absolutely brilliant It starts off slow but by the ending it gets pretty overwhelming. Seeing the sugar sculptures shatter is enetertaining in the trailer, but when you've been watching these guys for an hour hearing about how three generations of their family have all been master chefs and they've spent the last four years planning for this moment, it is heartbraking. And then the supervising chefs lay their medals on the table to encourage him! I don't want to spoil the ending but safe to say the head of the organisation is crying his eyes out as he announces who has made it.

This looks like an extended episode of the Food Network Challenge (probably where the idea came from). I suffer so much watching the creation/move on to the table of those things, it's not even funny. BUT as I was on the plane to my new hometown on Sunday, I was gladly surprised to notice half the plane watching the Dora the Explorer challenge and go "OH!" as one came crashing down. I hope they show it in Chi-town.

I've seen the entire film. It is amazing and I agree with iseg's comments about it. If you get the chance to see the full film, make the time to do so, as if you have any appreciation of the skills of pastry-making, cake & sugarcraft, you will thoroughly love the film.

I took a demo cooking class with the owner of the french pasty school in chicago who was talking in the clip you posted (I actually saw that white chocolate tree thing from the video in the school's chocolate fridge - yes, they have a whole walk-in fridge just for chocolate). He's hilarious in person. Thank you for sharing the video...I'd cry too if something I spent 12 hours building smashed on the floor.

That is so darn hilarious. I can relate. I'm no professional, but I've been making cakes for 20 years. The day came to make the cake for my son's graduation this past May. Definitely an important event. The cake stuck to the pan and the frosting was granular. I sat and wept as my husband and son went to the store to buy a *ack!* store-bought cake. I had been defeated by flour and butter.

I'd love to watch that movie. At least I'd feel like I was in good company.

They showed that film on TV a while back here (in Australia). It was brilliant, the sugarcraft would make you gasp, and your heart just sinks when these beautiful creations break.The chef who wept had just seen four years of preparation and several days of work (which was just glorious) go down the tubes and what was sweet was his fellow chefs cried with him and encouraged him to try again. It's not a competition as such, more of a high level exam that all or none might pass. Highly recommended if you're into cooking.

I actually attended the French Pastry School in Chicago while Chef Pfeiffer was competing for the MOF-he taught me sugar sculpture :) And Chef Canonne is hands down one of the best people you could ever hope to learn pastry from, with a wicked sense of humor to boot. This clip brings back memories!

@Anon 12:22 AMTry not to cry, then, if a cake that you've been planning and preparing (for *four years*) to present in the biggest contest of your life shatters into tiny pieces in a matter of seconds.

Some empathy for the chefs, please! What they do is NOT easy!

(Sorry CakeWrecks & Jen, I just *had* to delurk to say this. After all of the wrecks on your blog, people have got to appreciate the effort and genius that goes into non-wrecky creations!)

You're absolutely right. I'm a faux finisher by trade and I've definitely shed a few tears when I tried to do a finish that failed. And that was planned for a few hours. I can't imagine the heartbreak if something you've been planning for years came crashing down.

I honestly don't know how I'm going to do with this film since I'm a bit over-empathic. I suppose its a hilariously heartbreaking movie and I'm not sure how well that works. Hmm.

They aired this fantastic documentary in the UK several months ago. It was amazing & I have to agree with the commenters that state you should see it before laughing at the crying chefs.

The work, preparation, stress & skill that goes into these works of art really makes you feel for them when something goes wrong. The documentary was wonderfully made and you really did feel for each chef they featured.

If you're a baker of any kind I urge you to try and see it, you cannot help but be moved/ empathise.

The chefs chewing is probably hands down the best clip I've seen in a while. And I think I will actually use the phrases 'culinary hurt locker' and 'i've never seen so many strong men sobbning at once'.I am going to watch this movie

Search This Blog

Wreck the Halls

NEW! Pre-Order Today!

Buy the Book

Buy the NYT Bestseller

What's a Wreck?

What's a Wreck?

A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.

order

Where's the book?

We don’t have any copies of Cake Wrecks for sale here, autographed or otherwise. We decided the shipping and handling costs would be too high to make it worth your while. So instead, buy your copies locally or online and then order personalized bookplates: it’s cheaper, easier, and I think even looks a bit nicer.

Ordering Info

Payments must be made through Paypal, which accepts all major credit cards. Sorry, but that means no checks or MOs or barter-based chickens.

We ship everything first class USPS, and will do our best to have your package in the mail within 2 days of your order.